McDonald's Vanilla Shake Nutrition & Ingredients

McDonald’s Vanilla Shake is made with soft serve vanilla reduced fat ice cream, vanilla shake syrup, and whipped light cream.

A medium milkshake has 570 calories, 15 grams fat, 97 grams carbohydrates, and 12 grams protein.

Read this guide for a complete overview of the nutritional information, ingredients, and allergens in McDonald’s vanilla shake.

Vanilla Shake Nutritional Information

Daily Value

Daily value (% DV) indicates how much of a nutrient is in the fast food vanilla milkshake, relative to the recommended daily limit for an individual who follows a 2,000 calorie diet.

Use the %DV to compare menu items and balance food choices throughout the day.

As shown in the chart below, McDonald’s vanilla shake is high in saturated fat and added sugars.

% Daily Value

Use the %DV to determine if the food contains a low (5% or less) or high (20% or more) level of specific nutrients.

Red indicates %DV is high

	SMALL	MEDIUM	LARGE
Saturated Fat	41%	47%	61%
Sodium	9%	11%	16%
Added Sugars	80%	97%	134%

%DV based on 2,000 calories

Medium vanilla shake has 9g saturated fat, 47% of the recommended daily limit
A large delivers 67g added sugars, more than the suggested maximum for an entire day (50g)

Calories

Here is a summary of the number of calories derived from fat, carbs, and protein in each size McDonald’s vanilla milkshake.

Vanilla Shake

Total Calories from Fat, Carbs and Protein

	Small	Medium	Large
Calories from Fat	120 (25%)	135 (24%)	175 (22%)
Calories from Carbohydrates	320 (67%)	385 (68%)	535 (69%)
Calories from Protein	40 (8%)	50 (9%)	70 (9%)
Total Calories	480	570	780

Percentage of calories by macronutrient varies by size due to differences in the proportion of whipped cream topping and vanilla syrup to the amount of ice cream.

A small shake has 160 calories from added sugars

McDonald's vanilla milkshake with chart of calories by macronutrient.

Based on the size medium milkshake, nearly 70% of the calories are derived from carbohydrates, which is largely comprised of sugars. Dietary fats make up about 24% of the total calories, and the remaining 9% is from protein.

McDonald’s in Medium Vanilla Milkshake

% calories from fat, carbs and protein

calories from fat

24%

calories from carbS

68%

calories from Protein

The summary of calories by macronutrient is rounded and based on the nutrition facts provided by McDonald’s fast food restaurant. Actual calories may vary as a result of how the shake is prepared.

Total Calories by Size

Here are the total calories in McDonald’s vanilla shake with whipped topping for each size available: Small, Medium, and Large.

A small vanilla milkshake has 480 calories (16% fewer calories than a medium)
A medium vanilla milkshake has 570 calories
A large vanilla milkshake has 780 calories (37% more calories than a medium)

Check Prices for McDonald’s Sweet Treats

McDonald's vanilla milkshake with calories by size.

Total Fat

A medium-sized vanilla shake has 15 grams total fat, including 9 grams saturated fat. That is high.

The amount of saturated fat is more than 45% of the recommended limit for an entire day.

Even the small milkshake has a high amount of saturated fat (8 grams).

Here is the amount of dietary fats (and respective daily value) in McDonald’s vanilla milkshake, by size.

Amount of Fat and % Daily Value

	Small	Medium	Large
Total Fat	13g	15g	19g
Daily Limit	78g	78g	78g
Daily Value	16%	19%	24%

Saturated Fat	8g	9g	12g
Daily Limit	20g	20g	20g
Daily Value	41%	47%	61%

Daily Limit and Daily Value per U.S. FDA general adult nutrition guidance based on 2,000 calories.

Compare the nutrition facts to the restaurant’s Chocolate Shake, which has up to 14% more calories than the vanilla shake (depending on size).

Sugars

The amount of sugar in McDonald’s shake is high.

Sugar is a dominant ingredient in McDonald’s vanilla milkshake recipe. It’s listed as a top four ingredient in the ice cream, the vanilla shake syrup, and the whipped cream.

Here is a summary of the total sugars in a McDonald’s vanilla milkshake, by size.

Small vanilla shake has 51 grams total sugars
Medium vanilla shake has 62 grams total sugars
Large vanilla shake has 85 grams total sugars

Added Sugars

Moreover, the amount of added sugars is high. Added sugars are not found naturally in a raw food, but rather added to the recipe.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting calories from added sugars to 10% or less of total calories.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The amount of added sugars in a Small Milkshake (40g) delivers 80% of the recommended maximum amount to consume for the full day (50g).

Here is a summary of the nutrition facts in each size vanilla shake from McDonald’s.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving in 1 Shake (%DV)

Red indicates %DV is high.

	SMALL	MEDIUM	LARGE
Calories	480	570	780
Total Fat	13g (16%)	15g (19%)	19g (24%)
Saturated Fat	8g (41%)	9g (47%)	12g (61%)
Trans Fat	0.5g	0.5g	1g
Cholesterol	50mg (17%)	60mg (19%)	75mg (25%)
Sodium	210mg (9%)	260mg (11%)	360mg (16%)
Carbohydrates	80g (29%)	97g (35%)	133g (48%)
Dietary Fiber	0g (0%)	0g (1%)	0g (1%)
Total Sugars	51g	62g	85g
Added Sugars	40g (80%)	48g (97%)	67g (134%)
Protein	10g	12g	17g

%DV based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calorie needs vary and your %DV may be higher or lower. Provided for informational purposes only. Consult with your physician for dietary or healthcare advice.

Compare nutritional value in an M&M’s Blizzard from Dairy Queen and a scoop of Tillamook vanilla bean ice cream. Check the amount of saturated fat and total sugars before deciding if the sweet treats are the best option for your diet plan.

McDonald's vanilla milkshake with list of ingredients. — Sugar is a dominant ingredient in the milkshake.

Vanilla Shake Ingredients and Allergens

Added sugars include sugar, corn syrup, and liquid sugar

Ingredients

Here is the complete list of ingredients in McDonald’s vanilla milkshake.

McDonald’s Vanilla Shake Ingredients

Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream

Milk, Sugar, Cream, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavor, Mono And Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, and Vitamin A Palmitate

Vanilla Shake Syrup

Corn Syrup, Water, Glycerin, Caramel Color, Vanilla Extract, Natural Flavor, Salt, Potassium Sorbate.

Whipped Light Cream

Cream, Nonfat Milk, Milk, Liquid Sugar, Mono And Diglycerides, Natural Flavors, and Carrageenan. Whipping Propellant (nitrous oxide).

Potassium sorbate (used in the vanilla syrup) is a synthetically produced salt used as a preservative to inhibit the growth of molds and increase shelf life of processed foods.

Allergens

The vanilla shake is made with milk.

If you have a food allergy, check the full allergen guide for McDonald’s menu and consult with your physician before deciding which food is right for you.

Nutrition facts, prices, and ingredients are based on available information as of the date of publication. Restaurants and food manufacturers may change their recipes without notice. Check directly with the food provider for the most up-to-date information. NutritionandIngredients.com does not provide health or wellness advice or dietary recommendations. All reports and reviews published on this site are for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise stated, %DV is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Always consult your physician for any healthcare or dietary advice.

Nutrition facts and ingredients source: McDonald’s.

Milkshake image courtesy of McDonald’s.
Original designs by Nutrition & Ingredients for purposes of research and commentary related to fast food nutrition.